Today!

is

All the Way Through Midnight!

Your gift today will be matched, all the way up to $20,000

50 donors from the Classes of 2014 -2023

at $10 or more will net an additional

$5,000 Match

Celebrate St. John Baptist de La Salle Feast Day

and join our Day of Giving campaign

--- Click below ----

Your Support Honors Our Past and Fuels Our Future

Celebrate Our Milestone by Giving to

The Fund for Hudson Catholic

St. John Baptist de La Salle Thanks You!

And He Prays for Us!

In turn, we thank, and are grateful for, our angel donor, an anonymous but very generous alumnus, for offering this challenge and the matching funds when our goals are met!

Rest in Peace

Brother Paul Joslin

1946 -2024

He Was One of Us

Brother Paul Joslin, FSC, longtime member of the Hudson Catholic Faculty, died peacefully on March 23rd at St. Anselm Hall, the Christian Brothers Retirement Residence on the campus of La Salle University in Philadelphia.

Brother Paul served a total of 18 years at Hudson Catholic, in two separate assignments, initially in 1989 until 1992, and then a return engagement in 1994, for 15 years, until 2009, meaning that students among 24 of Hudson's classes had an opportunity to experience him. He is best remembered as having taught all levels of Spanish and for working with the Lasallian Youth His was the sixth longest tenure, in terms of years of service, by a Christian Brother at Hudson Catholic.

Born John Paul Joslin in Philadelphia on September 3rd, 1946, Brother Paul entered the Ammendale Novitiate on June 15, 1964 and received the Religious Habit and Name Paul Bernian on September 1, 1964. He pronounced Perpetual Vows in Philadelphia on October 19, 1974. Brother Paul had many assignments throughout his 60 years as a Christian Brother, but none longer than at Hudson Catholic.

A Funeral Mass was held on April 3rd for Brother Paul in the De La Salle Chapel on the campus of La Salle University, followed on April 4th by the Rite of Commitment and Final Commendation at La Salle Hall Chapel in Beltsville, MD, and Interment in De La Salle Cemetery also in Beltsville.

Message From The Prez

As we get ready to return to school on Monday, it’s important to remind everyone that we didn’t just celebrate Spring Break. No, at our Catholic high school we celebrate Easter Break, and that means that the focus is on the Death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ.  While everyone, both students and teachers, appreciate the week off, it’s important that our community remembers that it’s not about vacations or March Madness. Rather, it’s about remembering that Christ died for our sins and through His Resurrection, He brought us the promise of new life, both in Heaven and on earth.

If that didn’t make the week special enough, let’s add that we had the first earthquake in New Jersey in the last 139 years, we have a solar eclipse on Monday when we return, and our Muslim students end Ramadan and celebrate Eid on Monday, too.  All of this tells me that today’s Day of Giving is destined to be a tremendous success!  We are counting on our friends and families and our alumni to once again step forward to help Hudson Catholic continue to provide a top-notch, values-based Lasallian Catholic education that opens up doors to opportunity for our students.  What a way to end such a special week!

Wednesday, April 24

To participate, here is a link for Career Day Sign Up

https://forms.gle/Hrd95umDtW5BsUuu7

Or, contact Mr. John Cahill of the Guidance Office at jcahill@hudsoncatholic.org

Saturday, April 27

For tickets,

search Eventbrite.com: NJ High School Hockey Hall of Fame

May 9, 10, 11

The Hawk Drama Society Presents

The Tony Award Winning Musical

on

The Jack Campion Stage at Hudson Catholic

Saturday, June 15

Click on the image for details & tickets

Monday, June 17

Click on the image to register or sponsor

Reunion Reminders

1974 Planning Well Underway

Contact David Carbone '74 at

dcarbonephd@msn.com

1999 / 2014

(and any other classes)

Start planning now!

Contact Jill Cypher at jcypher@hudsoncatholic.org

to express interest in having / helping with your class reunion

Hawk Happenings

Girls Basketball Recap

The Girls Basketball Team played a very competitive schedule and battled with some of the top teams in New Jersey. They finished in 3rd place in their division, went on to the semifinals of the Hudson County tournament, bowing to eventual County Champion and perennial Girls powerhouse Bayonne, and qualified for the State Tournament, bowing out in the quarterfinals to another eventual champion, Pope John. Season highlights included plenty of individual honors to go around. Sophomore Kharington Schwindt was an All HCIAL Player of the Year nominee, All HCIAL American honorable mention, and Rose Classic Super Jam MVP; Junior Lauren Gentile was All HCIAL American First Team and Shore Games Classic MVP; Senior Anisa Akinola was Rose Classic Super Jam Scholar Athlete, and ALS Showcase Game MVP; Junior Kayla Cyrus received the Rose Classic Super Jam Sportsmanship Award; and Freshman Arielle Edwards was All HCIAL American honorable mention and became the Girls single season record holder with 91 shots blocked. For his team’s performances, Coach Chris Hernandez was named Division Coach of the Year and the New Jersey Basketball Coaches Association (NJBCA) Hudson County Girls Basketball Coach of the Year.

Girls in Technology

Twenty-one STEM Girls (6 seniors, 5 juniors, 10 sophomores) attended the "Girls in Technology" Symposium on March 21^st at Hudson County Community College, accompanied by Science Faculty member Ms. Maria Maderal. They had a great time discovering the many facets of STEM, which would give them a chance at excelling in STEM-related studies beyond high school. The activities sessions included A Day in the Life of Women in STEM panel discussion; 3D Reconstructed Skin as a Tool for Predictive Evaluation and Discovery, by L'Oriel Technologies on the Cutting Edge; Beyond the Horizon: Web 3.0 and Al Unleashed; Encryption Expedition; Lead-Based Paint Inspection by the HCCC School of STEM; and, The Wood Veneer Identification Challenge.

Practical Application

AEGIS visits Hudson to deliver Career Insights

AEGIS Insurance Services, a company formerly led by retired CEO Bill Cullen '72, has worked with Hudson CatholIc and St. John's University to produce a pathway for Hawks into the SJU Maurice R. Greenberg School of Risk Management, specifically for an Actuarial Sciences degree track. Last week, seven AEGIS reps paid a visit to the Hawks Nest to speak with students about careers in insurance underwriting and actuarial services, with a specific look into the essential role insurance plays in protecting the energy infrastructure.

One Hawk Plays On

Tahaad Pettiford’s all-star season continues. Although sidelined as a precautionary measure (knee) from the recent McDonald's All American Game, on Saturday, May 4th, he is scheduled to join some of the nation’s most elite high school basketball players to participate in the Iverson Roundball Classic 24K Showcase All American game at The Hampton Coliseum in Hampton, Virgina.

And, why not? .....Tahaad has been honored yet again....by being named HCIAL Player of the Year and Non-Public All State First Team by the Star Ledger! And to allay any concerns, Tahaad did particpate in the McDonald's 'Knockout Competition' (H-O-R-S-E in JC)....and won it!

Alumni Spotlight

Leadership, Service, Achievements

(and occasional whimsy)

Honors

Ice Capades. The Hawk 1999-2000 New Jersey State Championship Hockey Team will be inducted into the New Jersey High School Ice Hockey Hall of Fame on Saturday, April 27^th at the Hanover Manor in East Hanover. The celebration begins at 11:30am. Team members are All-State Goalie Joe Alesio ‘01 (inducted individually in 2016), Frank Baker ’01, George Brew ’00, Mike Caputo ’00, Peter Haglund ’01, Michael Lagola ’01, Logan Levy ’01, Pat Percella ’03, Jason Ortolano ’01, Richie Rusnak ’00, Brian Russell ’00, Paul Severino ’00, Bennett Shelley ’01, Louis Simpson ’01, Tom Steinel ’01, Ryan Trott ’00, and Chris Ceransky, Joe Cucci, and Christian Rader-Zaren. Coach Cory Robinson also earned induction in 2022. He was ably assisted by Mr. Frank McGady, long-time Faculty member, and Dave Metcalfe. And our Athletic Director at that time was a guy named Terence Matthews!

Irish Eyes Are Smiling. Jack Curry '82 has been elected to the Irish - American Baseball Society Hall of Fame. The Society tells it this way: "An award-winning sportswriter, author and TV analyst with roots in County Donegal and County Fermanaugh, Curry covered baseball for the NY Times for nearly two decades before joining the YES Network in 2010." Jack is one of five new inductees, the others being Hall of Famer Wade Boggs; Lefty O'Doul, who has the highest lifetime batting average among all eligible players not in the Hall of Fame; Danny Murtagh, Manager of the World Champion Pittsburgh Pirates; and, Brian Kenny, MLB Channel baseball analyst and personality. The Irish American Baseball Hall of Fame was started in 2008, with the "Irish Hall" located inside iconic New York restaurant, Foley's, until 2020, then relaunched in 2022 under the auspices of the Irish American Baseball Society

Spanarkel, again! Jim Spanarkel ’75, on Monday, April 15th at Highlawn Pavilion in West Orange, will receive this year’s prestigious Peter A. Carlesimo Memorial Sportsman of the Year Award from The Friends of Mercier Sportsmen, a Catholic and social charitable organization, for having “distinguished himself at every level in life and sport.” The event is in its 50^th year.

Editor's Note: It seems to be Hawk Hall of Fame season. The above inductions plus last issue's highlight of Mike O'Koren '76, makes for 18 Hawks going into three different Halls of Fame this Spring. All told, the 'Hawks in Halls of Fame' count stands at 63 alumni and 9 Hawk coaches who have been honored 81 distinct times by 15 Halls of Fame, including the Hudson Catholic Hall of Fame and the Hudson Catholic Wall of Honor.

Achievements

Mariano Padilla '23, a Performance Arts major at Pace University in New York City, has landed a starring role in 'Tony n' Tina's Wedding', appearing at the Count Basie Theatre in Red Bank, NJ in April. Just last spring, Mariano carried the lead role in 'Chicago' on The Jack Campion Stage at Hudson Catholic! Looks like he is going places!

Hawk Trivia

Baseball Trivia. Did you know......……….Peter Morales ’74, First Team All County Pitcher for the Hawks had a rather remarkable season on the pitcher's mound that year? In fact, no one can ever do better than he did. According to the Jersey Journal of that year, Pete tossed a full season and went undefeated and unscored on!

Hawk Pride

We are proud of our school's history.

The straight line that runs through it is

top quality education,

traditions built by the student body,

and affinity for 'Hudson' that lasts a lifetime

Pulling Weeds

A Metaphor for Growing Up Jersey City

“When pulling weeds from my garden today, an unexpected observation struck me. The weeds from the soft soil of the yard came out with relative ease, almost as if they knew their time had come. However, those that had made their home in the unforgiving cracks of the concrete sidewalk were a different story. They held on with a surprising resilience, their roots gripping the hard ground beneath.

This simple moment in my day brought to life a profound realization. Growth that occurs in the luxury of easy conditions often lacks the tenacity of that which has fought to survive in harshness.

There’s a powerful metaphor here for our own personal and professional lives. The challenges and adversities we face, much like the weeds in the sidewalk, endow us with a strength and resilience that easy paths cannot.

Let this be a reminder that the struggles we endure are not just obstacles, but opportunities to grow stronger, more resilient, and more capable of weathering whatever comes our way.”

-- The preceding was a March 25^th Linkedin post by Patrick DiDomenico who lists himself as ‘Knowledge Management and Innovation Advisor to Lawyers’. Patrick has granted permission for reproduction of his post in ‘BTL’.

Blast From The Past

Bo Bowidowicz ‘82 and Tommy Carroll ’82 hamming it up for the student body as the Hawk and the Ram at a Hudson-Dickinson pre-game Pep Rally.

Yearbook Update

Hawk Yearbook digitization is happening at a rapid pace. Now it's 1984's turn that has made it into the Yearbook Library. Click on the Yearbook cover to the right to go to the '84 Yearbook.

Korrections Korner

We occasionally err in attributing a graduate's class year, and last issue was no exception. As a result, we owe apologies to Bobby England '83 (not '82) and Jim Spanarkel '75 (not '73) for making them older than they are.

You can help Hudson Catholic

with 'likes' & 'shares' of our posts to your networks, from

Turn Your Brothers and Sisters In!

(We Need Their Email Addresses)

We lose touch with some of our graduates who move around, go off to college, start careers, get married, etc. Help us find them again and make it harder for us to lose touch. Many on this list have siblings who are Hawk alumni, so turn them in at advancement@hudsoncatholic.org or send them to hudsoncatholic.org/stay-connected to update their contact info.

FYI

Note:

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please copy and paste the 'link' into your browser's address window

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Plan a visit back to the Hawks Nest

Obtain or donate a yearbook through The Yearbook Exchange

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If you have a newsworthy item or something from the present or past to share with the Hawk community, drop a note to advancement@hudsoncatholic.org

“There are many who travel but who see nothing because they are too busy. I was always curious.”

-- The late Franz Beckenbauer, World Cup Soccer Champion

The Office of Advancement ~ Gary, Jill & Jenine

201-332-5970 x118

Advancement@hudsoncatholic.org ~ OR ~ gferrari@hudsoncatholic.org

We Thank

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